The folks behind Café de Nicole’s Flower are probably synonymous with creating dainty spaces that work especially well for the ‘gram — while their latest concept would be Ce Soir which is also located at 5B Portsdown Road, #01-03 just right beside Under Der Linden Restaurant, they have also launched Linden’s Dessert House, which is an extension of Under Der Linden Restaurant that is located at 5B Portsdown Road, #01-04 just up a flight of stairs that has an arch decorated with flowers; the location being much within the same cluster of buildings where Ce Soir and Under Der Linden Restaurant are located. As with all concepts that the folks behind Café de Nicole’s Flower had introduced, the space is decked in a really dainty aesthetic with the vast use of dried flowers to achieve a look that is consistent with most of their concepts. Since Linden’s Dessert House is pretty much a space for patrons to enjoy the various bakes and pastries that they have to offer, the menu here is limited to the various cakes and bakes (including entremets), danishes, and stacked palmiers that are also displayed in the display chiller and shelf at the counter — no hot food is being served at Linden’s Dessert House. For beverages, patrons can pick between specialty coffee, non-caffeinated beverages such as their flavoured lattes (think the likes of Sweet Potato Latte etc.), as well as a selection of teas from ROJI CHA, and alcoholic options such as beer, cocktails, wines etc.

Being pretty much a sucker for entremets that are shaped just like an apple with the use of apple elements within, the Linden’s Apple was a clear choice for us amongst the various cakes that they have to offer here. The Linden’s Apple features elements such as caramel mousse, cinnamon apple and Speculoos crumble; the cake also comes beautifully plated as well with what seems to be a maple drizzle; something which we were not really expecting considering how most establishments will serve an entremet on a smaller plate without an emphasis on its presentation. Cracking the exterior layer of the cake, it is noted that the green-coloured shell is actually made of white chocolate — immediately within the white chocolate layer would be the caramel mousse; liked how the white chocolate lends a hint of sweetness to the Linden’s Apple, and the caramel mousse was more of a subtle note that was also smooth though not particularly dense, and seemingly plays as a more neutral element that gels the white chocolate exterior and cinnamon apple together. Within the entire entremet is a core of cinnamon apple; this pretty much resembles the caramalised apple layer usually found in apple crumbles — while the chunks of apples here isn’t particularly obvious here and seemingly felt more jam-like, we really liked how it provided a zingy sweetness; the cinnamon providing yet another contrast of flavours as well that really made the Linden’s Apple feel like a reconstruction of an apple in an entremet / dessert form.

The folks who know us personally would probably know that we aren’t really fans of the concepts that the folks behind Café de Nicole’s Flower have introduced — the spaces generally do look like it is for the ‘gram, especially given its dainty aesthetics with the vast use of dried flowers that feels a little pretentious to us; probably just something which doesn’t vibe well with us personally. That being said, we do find ourselves enjoying our time spent at Linden’s Dessert House — set within one of those houses built in the colonial era that is located deep within the enclaves of Portsdown, time seems to pass slowly here; a spot that feels like it’s a respite away from the hustle and bustle, as well as the reality of city life. Perhaps this is the reason that makes them pretty popular, but we would admit that this is a space that we might return to for its serene settings — as long as it does not get too crowded …